


Scarlet bound

by Nerdydeercomputer



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Author Is Sleep Deprived, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Nightmares, Past Abuse, Rakuen no Tou | Tower of Heaven Arc, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:55:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25875484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerdydeercomputer/pseuds/Nerdydeercomputer
Summary: He was in the tower.He was back in the tower of heaven.The palms of his hands dampened at his realisation as he struggled to breathe, hands reaching for the his head as he tugged on the hair there.It was impossibleThe tower was destroyed in his fight with Natsu.
Relationships: Jellal Fernandes/Erza Scarlet
Comments: 3
Kudos: 24





	Scarlet bound

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tripthecat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tripthecat/gifts).



> Happy birthday again tripthecat!!! Our favourite couple with our favourite tag, only for you.

Jellal's eyes slowly blinked open as he swallowed his surroundings in. Something was different, the ground felt hard against his back, but familiar. He sat up, shaking off his sleep and tried to move. His hands felt heavy, a familiar weight on his wrists and his head moved swiftly to look down at them in horror.

He was in the tower.

He was back in the tower of heaven.

The palms of his hands dampened at his realisation as he struggled to breathe, hands reaching for the his head as he tugged on the hair there.

It was impossible

The tower was destroyed in his fight with Natsu.

But why did the shackles around his wrist and ankles feel so real? Why did the cool metal hurt him? He tried desperately to remember what he was doing before, where he was, but his brain refused to focus on anything else but the metal he was bound by.

Where am I ? Could it be the tower? It can't. It can't.

Getting on his knees, he looked around, at the stone wall behind him and the bars in front of him, the moss growing at the edge of the cell and the strangely white background in front of the bars.

His senses sharpened as he noticed a body, softly breathing in one corner of the cell, chest tightening as he saw a dash of red.

He got up almost immediately, running towards the figure huddled in the corner, running towards her, to grab her, hold her, protect her from the wretched place.

He ran as fast as he could, trying to reach the form only to have more distance put between them with every step he took. He couldn't get closer to her.

He felt a hand reach out to her, when without warning, the chain that bound his wrist tugged back, pulling him harshly till he felt his back hit the wall and a metallic taste fill his mouth.

His teeth clenched at the impact, but he paid no heed to the radiating pain on his back.

Erza

He had to save her.

At that thought, he heard a loud clatter against the bars of his cell, eyes shot up to look at the body thrown against it, now outside his cell.

His eyes widened and tears filled his eyes to the brim, his body leaping forward to hold the girl, hindered by the shackles now digging into his joints.

"Erza?", He whispered, trying to get her to answer him, when to figures made their way to the girl. Jellal recognised them as the guards who were in charge of their cell, remembering their faces from the nightmares he'd had before.

One of them made a move towards the girl, reaching out to grab her long red hair, while Jellal's eyes widened with horror.

"What are you doing? Stop. Don't touch her."

The guards, who were strangely unaware of his presence, yanked her up by the hair, laughing maniacally, while she whimpered at the force of her body being dragged by her hair.

"I'LL KILL YOU! DON'T TOUCH HER!"

"Jellal...", She said, making a feeble attempt at calling for him, letting out a strangled cry when the guards began to drag her to the white background by her hair .

"STOP. LET HER GO", his voice wasn't loud enough as he struggled against his restraints, tears rolling down his face.

"ERZA! DON'T TOUCH HER! ERZA!"

The figures moved slowly, disappearing into the white shadows, leaving a trail of blood , with screams being the only thing left in the hollow space.

"Jellal? It's not real, you hear me? wake up!! Jellal??", Erza cried frantically, trying to shake his trembling form awake, both hands on his shoulders as his face scrunched up and whimpering.

He shot up, hair damp on his forehead, sticking to it, as he felt a bead of sweat roll down the tattoo on his cheek and cool palms pressed against his clothed shoulder. His line of sight followed the arms on his shoulders, traveling up the expanse of the person's neck before resting on her face.

"Jellal? Oh thank Mavis, you were screaming in your sleep! And I tried to wake up but-"

It took him a millisecond to reach out to her, arms wrapping around her form, resting on her back, his head burrowed deep into her neck as he breathed in, struggling with reality. She responded immediately, cocooning his shaking form, dragging her palms lightly across his back to comfort him, to shelter him form whatever was causing him pain.

He let out an agonizing breath, feeling tears fall from his face to her shoulder and neck, she didn't flinch in his grasp, whispering comforting words into his real with her cheek rested on his shoulder as his back shook with his sobs.

His hand slowly reached up to her head, touching the hair there , fingers gliding slowly along the soft silk, tangling there. It was only moments ago that her hair-her very own self were dragged along the ground.

Away from him.

Away from them.

He inhaled once more, breathing in her magic scent, which already began working it's wayh into his mind and his heart, soothing his trembling till he felt his body calm down and his shoulders relax, the arm on her back loosening while she waited patiently for him to calm down.

A few minutes later, she felt him relax completely as she stroked his hair, releasing himself from their embrace, a hand still gently holding the hair near chin as she looked at him, unable to hide the worry that marred her features.

His hand gripped the ground beneath him as he looked at his palm in surprise when he felt dirt. They were on a mission, he remembered, looking down at the sleeping bag he was in and the unoccupied sleeping bag past Erza's shoulder. They were on a mission, together. They weren't at the tower.

"What did you dream of ?"

He sucked in a breath, her question snapping him out of his daze He knew he had to tell her or it would eat him out and destroy him, he hesitated a little, not wanting to share too much, feeling confident when a hand wrapped around his free one, intertwining their fingers.

"You", he paused , as she waited for him to continue.

"And the tower"

She gasped subconsciously, having had nightmares of that place for a good quarter of her life, knowing very well why he was so distressed.

"Jellal", she said, wiping a few years from his cheek, tracing the tattoo under his bloodshot eyes, not being able to find words that could reassure him.

"It's over, we're not prisoners anymore." She cupped his cheek, bringing him to make eye contact with her. "You're safe. We're safe. That place...ruined any hope I had of having a normal life, until I met you, Sho and the others.", She said, feeling tears of her own form in her eyes.

" I hated that place so much, and I know it's cruel of me to say this, but Jellal, if we weren't there, I wouldn't have met you, and I don't want that."

Jellal looked up in surprise, not expecting her confession, his hand moving to smooth the hair over the back of her head, still unable to believe that she was here with him, next to him. At that moment he knew , he didn't want anything more, he wanted to spend the next century, the next millennium by her side. He wanted to paint his world scarlet, he wanted to cover himself in her and never let go.

"What did I do to deserve you?" , He sighed, letting go of her hair to hold her shoulder, tracing her collarbone.

"You gave me a name, gave me purpose, and I won't let go of it"

Jellal didn't know what to say, how to react, so he did the first thing that came to his mind, something he shouldv have done ever since he'd seen her at the Tower of Heaven.

He cupped her face in his hands and pressed their lips together, almost laughing at the way she squeaked in surprise, but returned his kiss nonetheless, wrapping her hands around his neck.

She pulled away slowly, smiling at him, looking at the blush on his face and laughing softly as he tried to cover it, before leaning into him and hugging him once again.

"I love you"

His arms shot faster than ever, gliding across her back and pulling her closer, unable to believe what she had just said.

"I love you" , he resonated, pulling her back down with him, not letting her go, her head resting against his chest, her eyes closed to the sound of his thundering heart as he placed a tiny kiss on top of her head, before closing his eyes once more.

He dreamt of a future he never thought he might have that night.

He dreamt of scarlet.

**Author's Note:**

> I screamed while writing this


End file.
